Old time names in your family

[Irish Dave]

Well, let's see what I can recall:

Rollin, Margaret, Orville, Seth, Olin, Morgan, Ora, Edd, Riley, Sylvia, Lena, Lydia, Hilda, Ellis, Levi and great-grandad Abraham Lincoln Coffin.

Guess that's the ones that come quickly to mind.

[El Peludo]

Right off the top of my head:

On my surname side, My name is Emmitt Merrill (try going through life with that hung on you), my Brother is Wesley Leon, my Dad was Elgie Howard, Uncle was Heba Wesley, Grandpa was Elgie Hardin, but G-Grandpa was James Anderson; further back there were many odd names, and some not-so-odd - Ambrose, Precious, and lots of Jameses and Williams and Johns.  I'd have to dig out the big books to sort out all of them, though.  In various branches of the family, we have Pinkney (Uncle Pink), his Sister was my Grandma, and her name was Myra, but her kin called her "Chicken" and my Grandpa called her Polly - never could sort out just why.  My Mom was Maxine Yolanda, Gramps was Thomas Powderly (Pouderley), Grandma was Elsie, and My G-Grandma on that side was Florence Lilli; G-Grandpa was Caleb David.

Who knows what the future will hold; my oldest son married into an east Indian family, and his son is Kathan, and daughter Kayva Sunila.  My younger son named his daughter Bella Amore. 

[Johnny Gringo]

My GGGGGGrandfather (I think that's the correct # of G's) was named Leven Green. Leven was a Revolutionary War Vetran who received land in Kentucky after the war. Generations since have had fairly normal names, i.e., Zachariah, Thomas, Robert, Wilson, Henry, John, and many repeats of the same.

[homer suggs]

We had a few:  Grandmother - Lula Eloise -  her sisters - Gertrude, Rebbi (Rebecca), Maggie (Margaret), Mary Alice, Josie (Josephine).  Her brother Willy (William) ate his peas with a knife (no syrup).  Grandfathers - Wyatt and Thomas.  Great Grandfather - Hillaire.  The rest are pretty common.

Homer Suggs

[GunClick Rick]

GGGGGGGgranfather.Robert Dinwiddie,Lt/Governor in Virginia,made Goerge Washington a colonel at 23 during the french indian war.Was mostly on the side of British rule and was one of the writers of so called property taxation without representation that led to the revelution.Type in the name in the search engine and you will find the info.The name has been passed down through the generations.My grandfather was also Robert Dinwiddie his son Bruce named his son Robert dinwiddie.Also when you watch the movie"The Grapes of Wrath"my granfather built the labor camp with his boys and other oakies that came to Ca.He also built and lived in one about 2 miles from me,it is called Linell Camp and is still a labor housing development.He was one of the heads of the government they formed in the camps.His trade was carpenter and later had his own little store on his property where he built his house in which i was mostly raised.He later went to work for Stone Corral school as Carpenter,bus driver,and custodian.The school is named after the area where they shot and killed John Sontag of Sontag and Evans fame,it was said they had some doins with the Daltons when they came trough calif.and robbed a train from Pixely that was going to or got to Fresno, Ca. I may be a little off the facts.By the way my wifes maidin name is dare i say DALTON and no,i don't drink,spit,chew or curse,not around her anyway

Also if you ever see a copy of LOOK magazine from 1953 with a picture of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby dancing in scottish kilts on the cover,you can go to about the fifth or 6th page and there is a story titled "Whatever happened to the Oakies" you will see pictures of my grandfather,grandmother,my mom at 16 and my cousins Bobby Dinwiddie and his sister Margrett..I have two copies that i have found.I was born in 1954,hmmmmm

[Silver Creek Slim]

My paternal GGrandmother was Elizabeth Mary Dalton, born in Oshkosh, WI. 

Slim

[Muskrat Rustler]

Stanley, from the Georgia mountians, or there abouts.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

My maternal Grandmother's name was Maude.  Not very common these days.

The other side of the family coin, my paternal Grandmother, was named Fairy Lulu (Wagner) Bailey.  Kinda makes me glad I was born a man!

Also, my Scottish wife (really from Scotland) is named Williamina.  (Say William  and add Ina - long I - to it)  It gets mis-pronounced a lot as Wilhemina, but it aint.  My stepson's name isn't unusual over in Great Britain, but here his name, Gareth  gives a lot of Americans fits.  "Garth - Garrett - Gary" ...  'bout anything EXCEPT Gareth.      

[Ransom Gaer]

My five greats grandfather was named Ransom Gaer as was a cousin who served in the 34th Virginia Infantry during the WTBS.  His name was Ransom Geer.  Had a several greats uncle who was an officer in a North Carolina regiment during the Revolution by the name of Kedar Ballard.  His sister(my several greats grandmother) was named Absilla or maybe Apsilla.  Then there was my Great Great Great Grandfather Cavender "Carp" Gaer.  There are a bunch more too.

Ransom Gaer

[Doc Neeley]

I watched a show with my wife the other night, and one of the characters, a southern gentleman famous for his fishing, was named Little Berry, the same as my great grandfathers' brother (Dr. Columbus Neeley) who died in Andersonville prison camp.

[The Elderly Kid]

My grandfather and one of his sons were named Denzel Roberts. Accent is on the first syllable, not on the second as with Denzel Washington. I suspect that my family comes from Wales, as that seems to be the only place in the British Isles where the name Denzel (sometimes spelled Denzil) is common.

[AZ Drifter]

My Grandfather was Forrest Delmar, my Grandmother was  Myra Electa, My father was Forrest Willard. Guess what civil war general was popular in my family ?

[Ransom Gaer]

AZ Drifter,

I had two cousins who served in the 8th Tennessee Cavalry with Gen. Forrest during his first raid in to west Tennessee.  They had a little brother who was born in 1863 and was named Jefferson Davis Arney.

Up until last spring I was working with a Great Great Nephew of Gen. Forrest.  His name was also Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Ransom Gaer

[22lr]

Let's see if I can get this straight...  I'm Steven, Dad is Lloyd, GFather is Harold, GGFather is Alexander.. all with the middle name of Tynte (sounds like "tight").  Alexander Tynte's brother is.. (Are you ready for this?) Thetis Coppage Kinkaid McCroskey Brown.  He had two sisters named..Ada Minnie Willie Ellen Lottie Lee Brown & Maggie Zero Brown.  There are others but those are the best.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Well, these ain't nuthin too unique, but my grandfather was Joe Bob Marks, no not Joseph Robert Marks, but Joe Bob Marks.
My great grandfather was James Corbett Evans. He was born in 1900 and named after the boxer "Gentleman" Jim Corbett. I always have liked that name Corbett.

[Noz]

There are 7 generations in my family in which one male member in each generation has the middle name of Coleman. Including me, my son and a grandson.
I have some Greenberrys, first name.
One Irish gggrandmother was Elizabeth Marie Herlihy. Always liked that.

[Tim Burrattler]

I've been doing genealogy research for the past few years too. I've dug up several unusual names for my anscestors.
Pleasant Jasper Henry (male)
Ghaskey Hunter
Jesse Woodson James ( 7th cousin 5 times removed) yeah, but it's something!
Doctor D. Pollockr, went by Doc or DD
Littleberry McGinty
Shadrack Mimms
Zerelda Mimms
Mungo Napier
Zebulon Montgomery Pike French
Jerome Bonaparte Newman
Margaret Ann Seawillow Pipkin
Theopilis Donohoo Porterfield
Tennesse Rayburn
Bathsheba Tilestone
Cornelia Antoinette Wells
Littleberry Walker Wells
Seawillow Lemon Wells
Elvira Williamson
Littleberry Wright
Emmanual Avant "Dogie" Wright
Persian Hepzibeth Taylor
Narcisse Antoine Seraphin Rachal
Louis Gacion Cyriaque Rachal
and my favorite - Peg Leg Tumlinsion

I think if I'd have had one of them names, I probably would have been in a fight every day at recess.

[Guns Garrett]

Not sure what his real name was, but Grandpa's great-uncle's tombstone reads "Gymin Ysere Vanderpool"  Could be "Guyman Isaiah"?  Heard tell also his first name was "Diamond"  It is claimed to have said at a family 4th of July (1900) picnic:  "I think eatin' all this watermelon is gonna kill me." - he died the next day.

My Gr-Grandma Vida Lytle had a twin sister Viola.

Granny Taylor (Viida's daughter) had two half-brothers, (twins) who died in infancy - Bernie and Vernie Southern

[Tennessee Hoss]

I'll do the name thing with ya'.

My last name is Vermillion.

Go watch that DVD of Tombstone again, and get the name of the guy in the Buckskin outfit. Texas Jack Vermillion, Texas Jack's real name was John and after his wild west days riding with Wyatt Earp moved back to Virginia, renamed himself John and pretty much didn't talk about the old days so much. They evidently weren't the "good" old days back then at all. He had a son Samuel.

My dad was Joe Vermillion, and his father was Samuel Vermillion of Texas. We haven't made that last link from John's son in Virginia to Joe's father in Texas, but it's a good story anyway.

Side Note:

My dad was a pretty fair hand at being a horseman and a shooter. He didn't like handguns, something that came from his mother who would steal any handguns that the boys brought in the house and drop them down the well, but he was a great shot with a rifle and shotgun. When I was about 8 Samuel lay dying at home, and my father was talking to him. He told my dad, "Son you always thought that you could ride and shoot pretty good, but you ain't seen nothing". "Frank and Jessie (no last names) could ride their ponies at a full gallop around that old tree in the front yard of the house (we think he was talking about the old homestead house near McKinney, TX) and shoot both thier pistols, one with each hand into that knothole in the tree and nary miss a shot".

Dad asked Granpaw if he knew Frank and Jessie James why hadn't he told him about it before, and he said "Nothing good ever come from knowing them boys."

Just and old sick man trying to impress his son, or a true story. We don't know. My Aunt Bonnie who has passed away recently, was older than my dad. She told me years ago she had heard "Joe Dunn", his middle name, tell that story but she never knew anything about Pappy (Samuel) knowing the James boys.

Tenessee Hoss

[Skullyville Tom]

Well, I'll throw a few in the pot, my Grandmother's first name was Orpha, a Biblical name, I never heard of another one till I met an interesting person, I kept getting mail addressed in my name and city, John Owens, Shawnee OK.  I was a local businessman so when something came to the post office addressed that way it came to me, finally I got one with a middle initial which was different from mine and I found the other John Owens, he was a retired printer and in his retirement built custom Winchester Model 92's, unfortunately I don't have one, I wish I did!  His wife's name was Orpha Owens, the same as my Grandmother's name!  Orpha is rare enough as it is, but another woman with the exact same first and last name is really rare, at least in a city this size.

After my Grandmother passed, I found out her middle name, she had NEVER told anyone her middle name, it was Montessie, I guess that's why she never told anyone her middle name!